Rocky Patel Hamlet Paredes 25th Year Toro

Rocky Patel released the Hamlet Paredes 25th Year in 2017 at IPCPR in Las Vegas. The cigar is in response for cigar smokers asking Hamlet Paredes during his cigar events for a more medium to mild cigar as compared to his popular Tabaquero line which is more medium-full. The 25th Year celebrates the 25th year in the cigar industry for Hamlet Paredes, who spent many of those years at an ambassador for Habanos SA expounding on tobacco education at seminars and rolling events showcasing Cuban tobacco. The cigar is rolled in the Rocky Patel TaviCusa in Nicaragua and it made in a robusto, toro and sixty.

Vitola: Toro

Size: 6 1/2 x 52

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Pennsylvania Broadleaf

Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran

MSRP: $9.20

Purchased at Crescent City Cigars in New Orleans, LA

Appearance

The Hamlet Paredes 25th Year’s wrapper has a leathery appearance with a Colorado brown color that looks a little rough. The wrapper near the foot of the cigar has several wrinkles where it wasn’t smoothed out. The cigar had a perfect draw with notes of grass and leather on the prelight draw.

First Half

The 25th Year starts off quite tasty with notes of white pepper, cream, cashews, and leather with a slight milk chocolate note. The cigar developed a salty note near the midpoint of the cigar. For most of the cigar up to the midpoint, the 25th Year had a mild body, but full flavor. The cigar developed a crack in the wrapper after about a inch of the cigar was burned which was irritating, but didn’t affect the smokeability of the cigar.

Last Half

The notes remained mostly the same on the last half with notes of white pepper, cashews, and leather with the slight milk choc note fading. I got more nuttiness on retrohale which really enhanced the flavor of the cigar. It did turn slightly sour on the last half, but not so much that it detracted from the overall flavors of the 25th Year.

Overall Impression

I enjoyed the cigar quite a bit. Do I like it better than the Tabaquero? That’s a tough question. The Tabaquero wasn’t really my style, but the 25th Year is more what I prefer in a cigar. The only down side was how the cigar turned a little sour near the end. Its like eat a perfect bucket of hot, buttery popcorn at the movie theater and then getting and eating that one burnt popcorn kernel. It kind of ruins the whole thing. I think I will get some of these and put them down to age because I think they will benefit from some time. I think Hamlet Paredes hit his target with this cigar, just not the bullseye.